CRITICS OF APOLOGY CAMPAIGN TURN TO PERSONAL ATTACKS

Today’s Zaman
Dec 19 2008
Turkey

A campaign initiated by several intellectuals to apologize for
the events of 1915 — which Armenians claim constituted genocide —
continued to be discussed very vividly yesterday, with opposing groups
issuing strong statements against one another.

In Parliament, on the street and on TV programs, the subject took
center stage, with some critics attacking personalities such as
President Abdullah Gul and the intellectuals who initiated the
campaign.

"My conscience does not accept the insensitivity showed to and the
denial of the Great Catastrophe that Ottoman Armenians were subjected
to in 1915. I reject this injustice and for my part, I empathize with
the feelings and pain of my Armenian brothers. I apologize to them,"
the campaign statement says.

Republican People’s Party (CHP) deputy Canan Arıtman called the
organizers of the campaign traitors. "The false scientists signing
it should apologize to Turkey," she said, claiming that President
Gul — because of his "ethnic origins" — was not reacting to the
campaign. "We see that the president supports this campaign. Abdullah
Gul should be the president of the entire Turkish nation, not just
of those sharing his ethnicity. Investigate the ethnic origin of the
president’s mother and you will see," she said. There have been rumors
that Gul’s family has Armenian roots.

When Gul was asked for his opinion on the campaign, he said the
state’s attitude is to improve relations with its neighbors. "We
believe dialogue to be the solution for problems we have with our
neighbors. Perpetuating problems is not useful to anyone," he said.

Arıtman also suggested that that Gul was encouraged by his visit
to Armenia. Gul visited Yerevan in September upon the invitation
of his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarksyan, to watch the World Cup
qualifying game between the two countries’ national soccer teams.

President Gul in a written statement yesterday did not mention his
"ethnic origins" but underlined that he is sad to see the discussions
being used for minor political interests. The presidential statement
reiterates that the president views discussions on the subject
as indicators of self-confidence and the existence of a free and
democratic country. The statement also underlined that Gul, while
serving as a deputy, a prime minister and a foreign minister, defended
Turkey’s position on the issue at every platform.

Another personal attack came from Devlet Bahceli, leader of the
Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). "I want to say that I am ashamed
of the persons who initiated the campaign. We as the Turkish nation
should be ashamed of them," he said, adding that the campaign should
be stopped.

At Tuesday’s meeting of the parliamentary Foreign Relations Committee,
deputies from opposition parties, including the MHP, offered to make
a statement condemning supporters of the campaign. The pro-Kurdish
Democratic Society Party (DTP), however, objected to this. Following
discussion, a decision was made for deputies to condemn the apology
campaign on an individual basis.

The MHP initiated this campaign yesterday and Bahceli is expected to
be the first to sign the statement condemning the intellectuals whose
campaign, the MHP claims, aims to defame Turkish history. "There is
no single crime or anything to be ashamed of in the honorable history
of the Turkish nation. It is no one’s right and no one is entitled
to demand an apology by distorting history and defaming our ancestors."

Justice Minister Mehmet Ali Å~^ahin said civil society organizations
can approach the situation differently and that it is up to them,
but that he shares the view of the state. "I am in favor of the
continuation of the policy, view and the stance of the Turkish Republic
regarding Armenian claims of genocide," Å~^ahin underlined.

Professor Erol Kurkcuoglu, manager of the Turkish-Armenian Relations
Research Center, part of Erzurum’s Ataturk University, and known
for his research into 185 mass graves of Turks allegedly killed by
Armenians, also commented on the campaign. He claimed that "Turkish,
Russian and French archives show the real victims of those years
were Turks."

He repeated the official view of the state in his interview with the
Anatolia news agency and claimed that the law of forced migration was
issued after the uprising of Armenians in Van. "The forced migration
law definitely does not amount to genocide or massacre. With this
law the state tried to protect the life, property and honor of its
citizens," he suggested.

He added that during his research into mass graves, he even found the
elderly and women holding their babies. "In those days our people were
exposed to massacres and we lost thousands. These things happened
yesterday while some journalists and academics today organize an
apology campaign," he said.

He added that the aim of the campaign is to confuse people. "Everyone
should take into account what we, historians, are saying. We know
best. If anyone defends the opposite, he should come and see the mass
graves," he added.

Suleyman Cigdem, a professor at Ataturk University and chairman of
the Erzurum branch of the Association Fighting Groundless Claims of
Genocide (ASÄ°MED), said the campaign was organized without taking
into consideration the facts. "We apologize to our martyrs for not
remembering them," he said.

Meanwhile, Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) Executive Director
Bryan Ardouny defined the campaign as the start of an irreversible
trend. "Over 12,000 people in Turkey want history to be recorded
truthfully, having already signed the Internet-based petition
apologizing for what they call the ‘Great Catastrophe’ that befell the
Armenians of Ottoman Turkey in 1915. This public apology is a first
step in that direction and will inevitably lead to Turkey coming to
grips with its genocidal past."

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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress